Attachment for adjusting the pitch of a level body



ug. 29, 1950 J. o. THORNDIKE ATTACHMENT FOR ADJUsTING THE-PTTCHOF A LEVEL BODY Filed May 15, 1940'v Patented Aug. 29, 1950 UNITED :STATES PATENT oiFFlcgfE ATTACHMENT 'FOR ADJUSTING THE BITCH OF A LEVEL BDY vJames O. Thorndike, Whitman, Mass.

Application `May 13, 1948, SerlalNo. '26,751

' This invention :relates Iprimarily to a vdevice for determining the inclination or pitch of afsurace beam pipe or other object relatively to a .horizontal plane and the object thereof is .to provide an industrial level of a usual type commonly known as a spirit level such as is used Kby carpen ters, plumbers, and other artisans, with means cooperating with the level when the level is in ytrue horizontal position-from which the inclination or pitch of the object relatively to the horizontal can be readily determined. l

A further object of the invention is to provide as an article of manufacture .an attachment adapted to be applied to a usual industrial form of spirit level which may be employed to determine the pitch of lan inclined object relatively to the horizontal and which will not interfere with the usual use of the level.

A further object of the invention yis to provide a level of the usual type vhaving .means adapted to be embodied in or applied to an industrial 4 Claims. (Cl. 3.3---21'40 being approximately 3" 'in depth, with the respective ends 4 and 5 of 'the bar truly perpendicular to 4the upper and lower surfaces thereof. The bai-'is provided intermediate of its length with a horizontal transparent tu`be 1B extending longitudinally f and embedded in the bar and partially filled with a sui-table liquid, such as alcohol, having a bubble 1 vtherein adapted Vwhen centered longitudinally -of the tube to indicate `that the bar is in true horizontal position. A flat metal plate 8, which overlie's the tube 6, lis secured to the upper Ysurface of the lbar and 'iis provided with a 'longitudinal slot Band has la scratch line I0 defining the center of the tube so that when 'the bubble appears centr-'ally in -alinemerit of the vscratch line "it indicates Athat the bar is truly V horizontal.

The means cooperating with the level to ldeter-- mine fthe pitch of :an object comprises an IL- shaped fixture -of metal `or other suitable `material having a flat base II adapted to engage the level having means for indicating when the level "ff is in a vertical position which may be .employed to vdetermine the inclination or ,pitch of Aan 11pwardly Vextending object relatively to .the vertical.

A lfurther :object of the invention is to provide a fixture adapted to be secured to one .end of an industrial level which may be employed .to accomplish either or both-of the above purposes.

These and other :objects and features of lthe invention will more fully appear from the following description Yand the accompanying .drawings `and will be particularly pointed out in the claims. Y

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a usual type of industrial level with the pitch-determining attachment applied thereto; l

Fig, 2. is a side elevation of the same showing the pitch-determining device as applied to an inclined object such as a floor which, as illustrated, is inclined .downwardly from the left toward theright;

Fig. 3 .-is a vertical sectional view on line 3-3 Fig. 2, viewed inv the direction indicated :by the arrows and a portion of the depth of the ba-r of the level broken away; and v Fig. 4 is .la horizontal transverse sectional View on line 4--4 Fig. 3.

A usual form of industrial spirit level comprises -a bar or beam I of any predetermined length such, for example, as 2 in length, :and of uniform cross sectional arc-a, having a at upper surface 2 usually of approximately 1%" width, and a flat lower surface 3 parallel thereto, the bar upper flat surface v2 of the end portion of `the bar I with means for securingthe same thereto. In the preferred construction the horizontal member lof the 1 -shaped fixture is provided with par ,I allel flanges I2 extending downwardly alongside `the respective sideslo'fthe bar I and set screws 13,

preferably having winged nuts iii, which are mounted in one of 'the flanges 12, lengage one of the fsides of the ebar l thereby flxedly `securir-ig the base @I1 to the end portion :of the bar. 'The up- A vided 'with parallel flanges zl'l and If8 yextending beyond the face I6 and v.providing :a Vguideway 'for the edges `of Aa at plate 1119 which Yentends over the end i5 of the tbar in contact 'therewith fand is adapted to be extended beyond the lowerfsurface 3 of the 'bar as shown in Fig. '2.

Vil-iniitable scale :and .aniindex cooperating therewith are provided for measuring zthewdistance the plate 5 is extended beyond the lower surface of the "bar I into engagement with the object the pitch of which to be determined. In the preferred construction illustrated a vscale 20 :graduatediin units, fsuch'as inches and fractions thereof., is applied to the `lower end 4of `.the plate 4-I'il reading upwardly from the bottom thereof `and I the end 2l -of the lower surface 3 'of the fbar 'I ing the scale bearing pl-ate I9 in adjusted position.

In the preferred construction illustrated the plate I9 is provided centrally of its width with a longitudinally extending slot 22 and a ,bolt 23 which is anchored in the upwardly extending section I5 ofthe xture extends through the slot 22 and is preferably provided with a Winged 4nut 24 adapted to clamp the vplate I9 in adjusted positions.

In the operation of the device the scale-bearing end of the plate I9 and the under face 3 of the bar I are placed in engagement with'the inclined object or surface the pitch of which is to be de'-v termined and the bar I of the level adjusted rela tively thereto until the bubble 1 in the tube comes I into registry with the scratch 'lines I!! "on Vthe plate 8, thereby indicating that the bar is in perfectly horizontal position. The distance of the lower face of the bar from the end ofthe plate I9v is read at the under surf-ace 2| of the bar which engages the scale and the ratio of the distance thus measured on the scale to the length of the bar thereby determines the pitch of the object relatively to the horizontal. 'A l Byv reason of this construction Yalevel is pro-1 vided which can be readily manipulatedloy an artisan to determine the pitch of any object rela-' We y to the homzontal Such for example as the trial. spirit level as in claimV 1, 1n Which the scale inclination of a oor or the vinclination of a pipe to 4provide for proper flow of liquiditherethrough, or the inclination of any other objectv to the horizontal; v Y

Thelevel may also have means for determiningl 5 the inclination of a post or any other devicerelatively to the vertical. To provide for such use the barv may be provided intermediate of its-length with a similar bubble-containing tube 25 embedd ded therein perpendicular to the faces 2 and-3 ofv f through the barl enabling the position of the =bub' ble to be observed. v

A further object of the invention is to provide a fixture of the -character above described which can be produced as an article ofmanufacture and which can be readily marketed for application to an industrial level of the character above described.

` It will be understood that the particular' eine bodimentof the invention shown and described herein" is of an illustrative character and that various modications in construction of the ixture and arrangement of Vpartsrnay be made to enable it to be applied to other forms of levels within the meaning and scope of the'following claims. l

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

l.Y A pitch determining iixture for'an industrial spirit level of the type havinga straight beam of predetermined length and of uniform rectangular cross sectional area with flat .faces and having fiat ends perpendicular to the longi# tudinal axis of the beam and having intermediate of the length of the beam means for visually indicating when the beam is in truly horizontal position, said fixture comprising an L-shaped bracket having a base section provided' with a fiat face to engage the at surface of an end por- 4 tion of one of the sides of the beam, and an integral section perpendicular thereto having a flat face adapted to be positioned in accurate alinement with the fiat end of the beam, parallel flanges extending from the base section of the bracket along the sides of the beam, suitably spaced clamping screws in one ofsaid flanges to engage the side of the beam adjacent thereto and parallel flanges extending from the edge portions of the perpendicular section forming a guideway, a ilat measuring plate slidably mounted in said guideway adapted to be extended beyond the lower face of said base section, a scale on said measuring plate graduated in units and fractions thereof adapted in cooperation with the lower face of said base section visually to indicate the distance of the lower end of the measuring section therefrom, and means for locking the scale-bearing' plate in adjusted position, whereby when 'the end of said plate and the lower face ofthe opposite end of the bar are placed upon anl inclined object and the measuring plate ad justed to place the bar in horizontal position the pitch of the inclined object may be determined frornthe ratio of the reading of the scale to the length of the bar.

2.'A pitch determining fixture for an indusis graduated from its` lower end upwardly and adapted when in registry with the lower flat surface of the bar to measure the distance therebetween.

' 3. A pitch determining iixture for an industrial spiritjlevel as in claim 1, in which the measuring plate is provided with a slot extending longitudinally centrally of the measuring plate and the vertical section of the bracket has a bolt anchored therein and extending through said slot and pro--V vided with a winged nut for clamping the plate to the vertical section in adjusted positions.

' 4. A pitch determining xture for an industrial spirit level as in claim 1, adapted to be applied to one end portion of an industrial spirit `level having means for visually indicating when the bar is in true horizontal or true vertical position, whereby when the face of the bar beyond which the measuring plate may be extended is placed upon a horizontally inclined or a vertically inclined object and the measuring plate so adjusted as selectively to place the bar in horizontal or in vertical position the inclination of the object to the horizontal or to the vertical may be determined from the ratio of the reading of the scale on the measuring plate to the length of the bar. JAMES O. 'I'I-IORNDIKE.

` REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

